The Life of Johannes Van Der Waals

Van der Waals also formulated a theory of capillary action. He promoted the idea of a gradual change between liquid to vapor, although occurring very rapidly. Earlier theories stated an instant change from liquid to vapor. Van der Waals stated that molecules are constantly in motion at a very high speed as well, which was contrary to popular belief at time.

“Van der Waals was the recipient of numerous honours and distinctions, of which the following should be particularly mentioned. He received an honorary doctorate of the University of Cambridge; was made honorary member of the Imperial Society of Naturalists of Moscow, the Royal Irish Academy and the American Philosophical Society; corresponding member of the Institut de France and the Royal Academy of Sciences of Berlin; associate member of the Royal Academy of Sciences of Belgium; and foreign member of the Chemical Society of London, the National Academy of Sciences of the U.S.A., and of the Accademia dei Lincei of Rome.” Van der Waals also received a Nobel prize for physics in 1910.

Of van der Waals accomplishments, the intermolecular forces, respectfully deemed “Van der Waals forces,” are the most important contribution he made to the scientific community. Van der Waals forces can be easily defined as, the interactions and attractions between the protons of one atom, and the electrons of another. However, sometimes these forces are incurred between whole molecules when the atoms spontaneously shift to one area and cause a net charge on the molecule. These forces play a large role in the formation of proteins. During the formation of proteins, specifically in the tertiary structure, van der Waals forces enable the separate R groups to cause the protein to bend and twist into its final structure. In no way am I saying this wouldn’t be possible without van der Waals works, but I will say that if it weren’t for him, the world would be even more baffled by the construction of these essential proteins. It is because of van der Waals that biologists and chemists today can understand the complex interactions between atoms, both during the formation of molecules, and even more complex, after.

Recently, van der Waals reactions have been related to the ability of geckos to walk across any surface, no matter how slick. While most wall or ceiling walking organisms use some sort of glue or paste to adhere to the surface, a gecko leaves no trail. This curiosity sparked an investigation into the possibility of the creature to do this. It was determined that small hairs on the end of the gecko’s feet actually interact on the molecular scale with the surface its walking on. In some instances, the hair slides between the atoms of the surface and van der Waals forces, although weak, hold it, and the gecko, in place. Other hairs merely interact flat against the surface. Its because of the surface area of all these hairs that the van der Waals forces alone are enough to hold the creature against gravity. This discovery is being used to develop new military technology, and we owe it all to Mr. Johannes Diderik van der Waals.

Works Cited

Johannes Diderik van der Waals. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2007, from

http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/physics/laureates/1910/waals-bio.html

Johannes Diderik van der Waals. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2007, from

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johannes_Diderik_van_der_Waals

Campbell, N. A., & Reece, J. B. (2005). Biology (7th ed., pp. 42, 83). San Francisco:

Pearson Education Inc.